


The Silver Shroud

by Doktor- Marceline (Kenokosan)



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesia, BAMF, Expect a BAMF SS, F/M, Gen, I'm writing this as i go, Maybe - Freeform, SS thinks she's the silver shroud, She might use a sniper rifle, Spoilers, Vigilante, and some of archangel as well, but acts like batman when deals with villians, comic books, drug dealers that sell to kids, idrk, it won't leave me alone, mass effect fan will know who archangel is, memory lost, murders, some spoilers for the silver shroud quest, wanted to try a vigilante story, when i say villians I mean raiders
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-15
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-05-06 20:55:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5430542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kenokosan/pseuds/Doktor-%20Marceline
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alice, Sole Survivor of 111, wakes up with no memory of who she is and how she woke up in comic book store. Dawning the clothes of the Silver shroud, she makes her way through the wasteland to find out who she is, makes friends and enemies alike.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Waking up

**Author's Note:**

> Please enjoy this story, it's going to be a long one. I apologize for any mistakes in my grammar and formatting. I don't have Microsoft and I am using wordpad. Pathetic? I know...T^T

She woke up in a haze, her head throbbing as she slowly sat up. The room was spinning as she clutched her head. Where the hell was she? Cracking one of her eyes, she awaited for the room to stop spinning before it finally settled. There were spotlights above her and cameras facing her. Posters lined the walls with images of characters with bold letters on them. Standing up she walked up to them reading the text. The Mistress of Mystery and The Silver Shroud. Who were they?

"Better question...Who am I? And how did I get here?" she asked to no one in particular.A throb of pain caused her to wince as she lifted her hand to her forehead. Sticky, red blood stained her hand as she looked at her. That explains the headache. But what caused it?

A little breeze caused a shiver to run down her spine ans she finally realized the state of her attire or lack of it. She was in her undergarments and had some weird device on her wrist. Lifting her arm, she looked it over a bit. Turning it to look at it better.

"Pip-boy? What the hell is a Pip-boy?" she said as she shook her head. Tinkering with it, she managed to see her vitals. Her head showed signs of damage, but other than that she was fine. She checked out the other options. There was a map. Maybe it can tell her where she is...

"A comic book store?" she said to herself. That explains the posters, but not much on why what she was doing there. With a shake of her head she put the _...device_ down. She needed to cover up and fast. Looking around she spotted a mannequin with a long black trench coat, matching hat, silver scarf, and small pistol at it's feet. The woman walked over to it and began to remove the clothing from it.

"Not like you're going to need it anymore" she mumble to the mannequin as she pulled the coat and shirt off. It took her a full 10 minutes to pull the clothes together on her person. It was a little big on her, but not so much to impaired her movements. Looking down she grabbed the pistol. It was a really tiny weapon with an extended muzzle and a comfortable grip. She pocketed the thing as she walked away from the bare mannequin.

She made her way around the room to see what else she could use. She managed to find ammunition for the pistol, lucky her, some water, and some weird looking inhaler with the words 'Jet' on it. Pocketing the thing, she decided it was time to best leave and figure out what to do from there...


	2. It's a trap!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first domino to be dropped in what can only be described as, unintentional, justice being served.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will say that I had fun writing this. Hopefully you guys can tell who's who in this. Another thing, it's going to be a while before familiar characters will show. I want to develop Alice as character before she meets with them. Hopefully in a about 2-3 chapters, maybe less. IDRK.

It was nighttime and the wind blowing softly as she stepped outside of the comic book store. She clutched the coat around her herself closer in an attempt to keep herself warm. The silence of the night unsettled her as she began to walk an a random direction. She was in no rush. With no memory of herself or reason of being out here, there was no need to waste her energy. Keeping a steady pace she walked the ruins of the city being mindful of her surrounding and listening to anything that may do her any harm.

It was a good hour before she heard the cries of a woman calling for help. "SOMEBODY HELP!! SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH MY BABY!! PLEASE ANYONE!!?" The voice pleaded out to anyone that could hear. She stopped walking and turned her head to the source of the pleas, and broke into a jog. Something in her told her to go help, a maternal instinct to help a fellow person. She leaped over some rubble to see a silhouette of a distressed looking woman. Slowing down, she moved her hand to her pistol and approached her.

"Is something wrong?" she asked her. The woman stopped yelling to look at her. Her eyes were wide, but rather than the look of distress, she had the look of...surprise?

"It's my baby! Something is wrong my baby!! Please you gotta help me!!" she shouted as she began to run off. "Wait!! What's wrong!?" she called out as she chased the woman down the path she went into. It was very dark and she felt chills run down her back as she looked for the woman. She was no were to be seen but three figures came out from the dark corners holding weapons.

_*CLAP! CLAP! CLAP*_ someone was clapping behind her. She turned to see the woman from before with a pleased look on her face. _'Fuck'_ she thought. It was an ambush and she fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker. "You know, you're the first person today to fall for this. 'OH SOMEONE!! PLEASE HELP!! MY BABY!! SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH MY BABY!!' Hahahahah!! I didn't think it would work, but boy!! Was I wrong!!" she said with sickeningly sweet voice. The woman kept laughing for a bit longer as she just stood there with a scowl lacing her features. "But enough of that! Hand over any valuables you have and maybe I won't let my boys here play with ya afterwards" she demanded as she walked up to her with open arms. She tensed as she felt the other three also walk up to her. All she had was a pistol, that inhaler, and water. Adrenaline began to shoot through her veins as she pondered her choices quickly through her mind. Run? They'll kill her. Give them her stuff? Still kill her and then some. Fight? At least she'll die fighting.

' _Fuck this shit_...' With a shake of her head she reached into her coat and pulled out the pistol and took aim at the woman. It was only a split second before the woman could say anything as a bullet embed itself into her head. Her body fell backwards towards the pavement, but she didn't look at it any longer as she turned and started shooting the other three. 'FUCK!! SHE KILLED DORIS!! GET HER!" one of them yelled and soon they all charged at her with weapons. She started to run from them and ran out of the dark area and into moonlight. Looking left and right she found an old car that she could use for cover.

As she ran, she felt one of them grab her coat and she shrugged out it. She didn't look back as she as she jumped, slid over the hood of the car, and dove behind it. Leaning over the hood she resumed shooting at them. The one holding her coat was the first to fall after she shoot him the knee twice and then in his jugular. He choking on his blood as he fell over and died. The other two were smart and dove for cover, she peeked over slightly when she heard the sound of foot steps creeping her way. One them managed to get to her cover and was about to hit her with a crowbar.

**'BANG!'** She managed to roll out the way in time as the crowbar hit the car instead of her head. "HOLD STILL YA BITCH!!" he cried as he continued to swing at her. She kept ducking and weaving, her body acting without her thinking. Left, right, right again, duck, and...

_'Pew! Pew!'_ she drew out her pistol again and shot him twice in the arm that was holding the crowbar. He screamed in pain, dropping the weapon. She didn't hesitate to grab it and swung it out at him, hitting him square in the face. His face twisted around, his neck making a sickening crunch. She took a deep breath before looking around for the other one. The last one grabbed her from behind and had her in a choke hold. She struggled clawing at his arm as she felt darkness creep into her vision. "I'm going to enjoy your little cunt" he whispered in her ear. Rage boiled in her veins as she tucked her chin into the crook of his arm and bit into his arm viciously. The taste of warm copper assaulted her mouth as she tore the skin off of him.

"ARGH!! YOU BITCH!!" he cried out in pain as he clutched his arm and charged at her. She was dizzy from the lack of air and couldn't move out of the way in time. They rolled around, trying to get the upper hand to finish the other one off. She got a few good hits on him before he managed to get on top her and grip her neck once more. Struggling to remove his hands from her neck, she groped the ground around them and felt her hand grab a rock. Without hesitation, she hit him in the head with it. He fell over clutching his head. She sat up quickly, rubbing her neck as she dropped the rock. She spat some blood to the ground as she found the discarded crowbar on the ground. Walking to it, she picked it up and looked at the last thug on the ground. With a neutral expression she walked up to him and looked down at him. He stopped struggling to look her in the eye, brown eyes that were almost black and devoid of any emotion were the last thing he saw as she brought the crowbar on his face.

**'CRACK!!...CRUNCH!!... _SPLAAAT_!!!"** The sounds of her hitting him with the crowbar were the only sound that were heard as she made sure to smash his face into mush. When she was done, she adjusted her gloves and wiped her mouth. "Assholes..." she muttered as she cleaned the crowbar on the clothes of the dead man. She looked over to the other bodies and figured to check them for any supplies. After a few minutes of checking each one she managed to find some bottle caps, a switchblade, a black bandanna, and a bottle of pills called 'Buffout'. She also went to collect her small pistol, hat, and coat that were dropped during the scuffle. The coat looked to be fine, nothing torn or pulled. Just dusty from the ground. She shook the old thing off and didn't notice a small business like card drop out of an interior pocket, landing next one of the bodies on the ground. Satisfied with most of the dust was taken off, she pulled the coat back and made her way once more. This time with a mindset of finding a town for a doctor to treat her injuries and perhaps some answers for herself.


	3. Noodles?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which, one should follow their nose!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to meet one sassy woman.

Dawn crept over the ruined landscape that was once a city. Large insects, odd looking crabs, and the occasional rat scattered about as the day began. It was here that she found herself hungry and tired, after last nights events. She was unable to sleep, her nerves being on edge as any sound would make her jump. The only substance to help her body was water and that didn't do much for her growling stomach.

"Fuck....I'm so hungry" she whispered to herself as she dragged on foot after the other. She tried scavenging the buildings around her, but only more of those stupid caps and ammunition. What help would bullets be if she can't lift a gun cause of her stomach!? A sudden smell in the air caused her to stop in her tracks.

*SNIFF...SNIFF?* Lifting her nose in the air, she took a deep whiff. Something smell delicious in the air making her stomach growl happily. Much like a dog looking for it's meal, she used her nose to track the source of the smell. The sight of a large, green building as it came into view. It was surrounded by walls, men with armour and guns strapped on their person, and people coming and going. A settlement perhaps? Hopefully they had food and doctor for her. With sudden vigor, she walked up to one of the main entrances. She was stopped by one of the men.

"How many?" he asked her with a serious look. "Just me" she answered him. He gave her a once over before beckoning her to go on in as a group of family pull up behind her. A security door opened up as she walked in and went down the stairs. A marketplace came into view as vendors and people walked around.

"SWATTER!! GET YOUR SWATTER 'ERE!!" An elderly man holding a bat and wearing some odd, white uniform shouted very loudly as she walked deeper into the market.

"HAIR CUTS FOR THOSE THAT NEED THEM!" A young man with an elderly woman shouted as she walked past them.

"GOT ANY JUNK YOU DON'T NEED? SELL THEM HERE! WE BUY, SELL, AND TRADE!!" Another one cried out loudly. She then spotted a stand with a green cross on it. Finally a medical station! She walked up to a man wearing a white coat and holding clip board. He looked up to see her approaching and looked annoyed. "If you have radiation poisoning then you'll need to sign up on the waiting list" he told her. She shook her head. "I don't have radiation poisoning" she told him with a bewildered look. "Very well, then what do you have?" he asked her. "I got into a scuffle last night and my throat is bruised. Got anything for it?" She moved the scarf and the collar of the coat to the side to show him angry red and nasty yellow marks. "Ohh...those look bad. Well, I can administer some pain reliever and give you something to speed up the healing process." he said as he pulled out two syringes from a drawer. "How much doc?" she asked as she sat down. " That going to run about...56 caps" he said as he took her arm. So bottle caps were currency here. Well it was a good thing she kept the caps she found from before. She had at least 200 or so.

*HISS!* The prick jolted her back to the present as the needle went into her arm and she felt relief from her throat. The doctor bandaged up her arm before grabbing the other syringe and grabbing her other arm. This time she didn't feel anything as the needle broke skin slightly. "There! Now those bruises should disappear with the next few hours or day. If you feel anything odd or strange, that be your body trying to fight off the medication. Nothing to worry about unless you get red itchy marks on your body" he explained to her as he disposed of the needles. She stood and gave him the caps and left. Feeling a lot better she walked over to what looked to be a food stand with a egg-shaped robot,wearing an apron, standing behind it. It looked to be stirring what she was smelling earlier. Her stomach growled, reminding her of it's hunger as she took a seat.

"Mitsumori?" It said as it turned to her. "huh?" she asked it, but it repeated itself. "Mitsumori?" it said again. What was Mitsumori? The woman in a red coat and brown hat sighed next to her. "Just say yes. It's the only thing it understands, really" she told her. She nodded her head at the woman. "Uh...yes" she told the robot. The robot then turned to grab a bowl, before grabbing a hearty serving and pouring it into the bowl. It handed her the bowl. "10 Kyappu" it said as it held out a clawed hand. She understood 10, so it must mean 10 caps then. Handing over it the caps, the robot went back to stirring the noodles. Sweet delicious food. Finally. She ditched using a utensil and just gulped down the noodles. In less than a minute the bowl was empty and her stomach full. Whipping her mouth with a napkin, she had a smile plastered on her face. Suddenly she felt some one looking at her. The woman next to her was looking at her in disbelief and holding her fork midway from her mouth.

"What?" she asked her. The woman in red put her fork down. "What indeed! You just gulped that thing down like it was water!!" she stated as she turned to face her. The woman in red leaned forward, causing her to lean back. "I don't think I've ever seen you around this parts" she asked her. "Uh no. I just came in this morning. Looking for for treatment and a hot meal, really" she told the woman in red. "Where you hail from?" The question threw her for a loop. "Oh...uh I don't know..." She looked at her in shock. "Don't know?!" She shook her head at the woman. "Well, more like I don't remember. I woke in some sort of comic book store, practically naked, and with no memory" she explain to her. "Oh man...that's heavy. Shit! Where are my manners? The names Piper. Piper Wright, top journalist in Diamond City and at your service" The woman, Piper, said introducing herself. "Your name would be...?" Piper asked her, drawing the question out. "I don't remember my name either" she answered her with a small blush.

"For real? Can't remember your own name?" Piper said as she held her chin. "Nothing at all" she told Piper. Piper pondered for a bit, then lit up. "I know a guy that can help. Come with me!" Piper grabbed her arm and pulled her out of her chair. "Where are we going!?" she asked her new found friend. "Like I said, I know a guy that can help!! He deals with these kinds of things. If any one can help it's Nick Valentine!" Piper said as she looked back her with a grin. Oh, what had she gotten herself into?


	4. My little Valentine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which you should knock first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY!! I usually like to update daily, but I went to see the star wars movie and I wanted to wear my storm trooper costume!! It was awesome and people loved my costume. GO SEE IT!! But anyway, I should be keeping a daily update schedule until otherwise. Enough of my rambling and on with the story!!!

The alleyway was dark and there was barely any light in there, except for the the sun peeking into the cracks of the walls and a red neon sign with a heart on it. The two woman passed under it and walked into a small alcove with a door with a label that read 'Detective'. Not bothering to knock, Piper barged through the door and startled the two occupants in there. The woman dropping the folders she was carrying and the...wait. What was he? Whatever he was he started choking on his cigarette.

"NICK!! GOOD YOU'RE HERE!! I GOT SOMETHING FOR YA!" Piper shouted as she moved her new found friend into a chair in front of the strange looking man. The man was patting his chest and coughing up cigarette smoke. "If it's another*COUGH!*COUGH!!* Asthma attack*COUGH!* then forget it!!" he said between coughs. Piper rolled her eyes as she sat next to her. "Calm down Nicky! You're not even human and yet you still overreact like one" Piper stated with a wave of her hand. The man, Nick, glared at her for a split second before putting out his cigarette and looking at the two. "Still no reason to barge in here without knocking at least" he said before look at the woman wearing a mostly black assemble of clothes, similar to his. "And who is this?" he asked gesturing to her. She fidgeted a bit in her seat, not liking being the center of attention as of right now. "That's the issue. I have no idea and neither does she" Piper said plainly to the detective. If he had eyebrows, they would've risen in disbelief. "Wait...she doesn't know who she is?" he asked. Piper shook her head. "Nothing, not even her name" Nick sighed as he rubbed his temple and looked over to Ellie, his assistant. "Ellie, do me a favor and bring me any and all missing people reports we have. I have a feeling this one is going to be a dosey" he said to her. Ellie looked up from collecting the fallen folders and nodded as she finished cleaning up. She filled them away and pulled out a stack of folders as thick as a man's head. "Here ya go, Valentine" she said handing them to him. "Thank you Ellie" he said as he began to rifle through them. He looked over the woman in black.

"Okay. So I'm going to ask you some questions and I need you to answer them the best you can. Any and all details, no matter how small, that you remember. No matter how...painful they can be" he asked her. She nodded and looked at him in the eyes. "Before we get started...I need to ask something" she said to him. "Shoot" he said as he opened a folder with a description of a missing boy from two years ago, not a match. "What...are you?" she asked him with a curious look. Everyone in the room looked at her in surprise, as if she grew another head. "You never seen a synth before, honey?" Ellie asked her. She shook her head no. "This is a first. I mean, I have no prior memory to anything as of yesterday" she explained herself. "Well, as my assistant said. I'm a synth. Short for synthetic man. Made and built by Institute tech, a Gen 2" he said to her as he looked over another report. "The institute?" she asked looking at Piper. Piper was a lost for words and that usually never happens, given her profession. "Man, you really are something else? The Institute is the Commonwealth's boogeyman. They snatch people out of the blue and replace them with replicas of them. No one knows why they do it, but they do" Piper told her. Replacing people? She couldn't believe it. Why would they do that? A cough drew both their attention back to Nick.

"Not to get off track, but you said you can only recall as much as yesterday. What can ya tell me?" Nick said as look at the woman. She pondered for a second. "I remember waking up in...some sort of comic book store. I barely had any clothes on me and I was wearing this...uh Pip-boy" she told him as she lifted her left arm to show him. "You're a vault dweller then" he said as he wrote it down. "A vault dweller?" she asked. "Small tight-knit communities that live in underground facilities built by Vault-Tec before the bombs dropped. They keep to themselves mostly, but every now and then they send out one of their own for trading and supplies" he said as he was coming down to last few reports of missing people cases. Not of the files matched her description so far. "I then grabbed these clothes off a mannequin they had there with posters of some guy called 'The Silver-something' and this little pistol too" She pulled out the weapon to show him. Nick took a look at it and saw that it was modified to be silent and to pack a punch by the looks of it. "You mean 'The Silver Shroud', right?" he asked as he pulled up the the last file. Missing woman, maybe this is...no. This woman in the file is Caucasian while the woman before him was clearly Hispanic. Damn. "That's it! Anyway, I got dressed and left. I figured it would be best to what to do from there. It was night, cold, and windy. I heard a woman screaming for help for her baby. Turned out to be a trap" she said to him.

"What happened to 'em?" he asked her as he shoved the pile away. This was frustrating. "I fought my way out. Shot the bitch point blank in the head and took the others out with my gun and a crowbar one of them was carrying" she said as she watched Ellie take the files away and put them away. "Anything?" she asked him with hopeful eyes. He shook his head. "Nothing...Sorry" he told her. " it's alright...Oh! I also had head injury when I woke up" she just remembered. "Head injury? Ok, then that means someone attacked you and left you for dead. That's not a comfortable thought" Nick said to her. Unable to recall her memories and left in a comic book store. There was only one comic book store here in the Commonwealth. Perhaps...

"The comic book store? Was the name of it Hubris Comics by any chance?" he asked her. She shook her head yes. "That's the name!" she confirmed. "Hubris comics? Wasn't that place a given a no fly zone cause of all the ferals?" Piper asked as she look between the two. "I was the only one in the building and what are ferals?" she asked. Oh boy. This woman is going to be needing a full run down on the dangers of the land. "Ferals aside, we'll explain them to ya later, you said you were the only one there?" he asked her. "Only one. Laying in a puddle of my own blood. No signs of myself being dragged there or anything really" she said as her voice deflated a bit. "Hey" Piper placed her hand on her shoulder in comfort. "Don't worry. You'll get your memory back" Piper assured the mystery woman. "Thanks Piper" she said with a smile. "Well it seems, there is only one option to this" Nick said as he stood up from his seat. "What option is that?" she asked him. "Oh no...I don't like that look" Ellie said with worry. "Don't worry Ellie. It's only a little ways, and we have plenty of sunlight left in the day" Nick assured her as he opened a drawer and pulled out a fresh pack of cigarettes and a a hand cannon. "That's what you said before you disappeared for weeks looking for a girl that Skinny Malone took" she said as her hands went to her hips. "You had me worried sick! I was lucky that the couple from the Mojave was willing to do it for a decent amount of caps to save your butt!!" Nick waved her off. "Details and that husband of hers was a total egomaniac of a ghoul. How a ghoul like that landed a girl like her is beyond me, but that is besides the point. It's not like I'm going alone this time" he said to her with a smile.

"You're impossible!!" Ellie groaned and threw her hands in the air. "What look? What option?" she asked the two as she stood up as well. "The option is to go back to Hubris Comics and search the place for any clues that you might've missed and well, if we find nothing I happen to know someone who can help with memories" he explained to her. She ran her hand through her head. This was suddenly a lot to take in. "Don't worry. Nicky knows what he's doing. Most of the time" Piper assured her as she stood up as well. "You coming Piper?" Nick asked her. "You bet that metal ass of yours! This sounds like one hell of a big story and I'd be crazy to pass it up!" Piper said to them with enthusiasm. "Let me go and get ready. I'll meet you guys at the main gate!" Piper then took off in a red blur. She looked at Nick and Ellie. Ellie just sighed. "I can at least take comfort that you're taking back up with you and not going on your own again" Ellie said as she looked at her boss. "That's the spirit, Ellie. Hold down the fort till we get back" he said as he gestured for the mysterious woman to follow him. She bid Ellie goodbye and followed Nick out. They passed through the market place and made their way towards the main gate. There, Piper was awaiting them with a small pack. "You guys ready?" she asked as they walked up to her. "Shall we?" Nick asked as he looked at the woman and she nodded. "Lets" she said as the trio walked through the gate.


	5. The body

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where finding a body can give you answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Late? I know!! So sorry!!

The trio made their way through the city, making idle chit chat with one another. From small things like the paper that Piper runs to some of the cases that Nick was still working on. They asked him about the 'Skinny Malone' case that Ellie mentioned earlier. At first he was reluctant, but after much prying from both of the woman he gave in. "...So I was trapped in a cell as one of Malone's goons was taunting me from the other side of the glass. Then, as if from thin air, this ghoul wearing sunglasses shoots his brains out while the gal with him opened the door for me" he told them as he scanned the area a head of them. "The egomaniac ghoul? What was wrong with him?" she asked Nick. Nick shook his head as he recalled when the stepped out of his cell back in Vault 114. "What wasn't wrong with him, is the better question. Apparently he was a prewar ghoul that was a real hot shot entertainer when he was human. Kept acting like he owned the world and everything. Still trying to think how his wife saw in him. She was the total opposite of him. Always looking to help when ever possible. Hell, she managed to talk down the girl I was tracking and convince her to go home. Long story short, we left Skinny's place and split. Last I heard, they were on a vacation" Nick said as he finished his story.

"Who be crazy to vacation here in the Commonwealth?! In my opinion they should've gone to California or...Vegas!" Piper said as she shook her head in disbelief. Some people are just weird. "Got any other stories, Nick?" she asked after Piper was done talking. "Hmm...None that stood out like the last one. All the others are pretty much the same. Runaway kid, wife, or husband. Most of the time I track them to Goodneighbor and talk 'em back to going home" he told her. "Why would they runaway in the first place?" she asked as she kicked a rock away from her. "The same reasons as most. The elope with someone, got in a fight, or just looking to get away from their old life and start new" Nick said as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He shifted the pack towards the two, offering them one. Both shook their heads. It was odd traveling with people for Nick. He usually go off on his own, since given his appearance and the fact that he's a synth. That usually put a lot of people off. Though it's nice to have company and it's not everyday he gets a case with a person with no prior memory of who they are before.

"We should be coming up right now, but keep an eye out. Never know if someone else might be around scavenging or waiting in ambush" Nick told the two women as the turned a corner and spotted their point of destination. It looked different in the day than it did at night. It looked more run down and in shambles than when she remembered. Then again she was in a hurry to leave the place and try to find some answers. Nick went to open the door, but it was locked. "Uh...did you by chance lock the door when you left?" he asked her as he kept trying to open the door. She shook her head no. "No. I just walked out of the place. Didn't even know it even had a lock on it when I left" she explained as she tried to open the door herself. Shit. What now? "Anyone with a bobby pin? I can probably crack it open" Piper asked as she made her way up to the door as well. The other two looked in their pockets and patted themselves to see if they had a bobby pin. None. "Sorry no/nothing" they both said at the same time. "Shit. Now what?" Piper asked them. "Can't we just shoot the lock?" she asked them as she pulled out her pistol and took aim. "That could work..." Nick said as he pulled Piper away from the door and behind the other woman. "Ready?" she asked as she put her finger on the trigger. "Ready" they said as she shot the doorknob off the door. The door creaked opened after the knob fell. She holstered her weapon and pushed open the door.

Nothing looked out of place, or at least to her she walked in with the other two. The main floor was littered with burnt papers, dust, broken furniture, and what not. "Ugh. What is that smell?" Piper asked as she covered her nose. The reporter gagged as she walked more into the store and stepped on something. Lifting her shoe she noticed a dark looking substance on the ground. She followed the trail that lead to a pile of debris. Bracing herself she moved some of the garbage out of the way, only to jump back in surprise. "OH MY GOD!!" her scream grabbed the attention of the other two and they both rushed over to see what caused the commotion. "What is it?" Nick asked looking at Piper. Piper was trying her best not to vomit as nausea threaten to take over her, instead she just pointed. Nick looked over and finally noticed it. A man in a vault suit with his torso and stomach torn open. His innards with yanked out and strewn about. "Shit..." he said as he looked at the other woman. She was standing perfectly still. She was looking at the body with thought. Maybe she knew him? "Know him?" he asked her as she knelt by him. She was reaching over to move the face to get better look at him. He was pretty. Probably had the girls falling over heels for him before his innards got ripped out. Brown glassy eyes looked at her in the eye, dark hair that was once combed was now in a shaggy mess, tanned skin that looked to be going pale by the second. He looked familiar...but she couldn't be sure. Maybe if she... She turned the body slightly, some more of his organs falling out and making a wet slapping noise as it hit the ground. "I'm...going to go throw up now" Piper said as she went over to a corner and heaved her breakfast out. The two look at Piper briefly before turning their attention back to the mysterious man and noticed that he had a Pip-Boy on his person as well.

"Think it still works?" She asked Nick as she watched him go over to the other side of the body. He grabbed the arm and switched the thing on. It blinked, the screen going static for a bit before showing the default screen. He messed with it for bit, first looking at the vitals and the vital stats showing his heart rate being flat. Nick looked at everything else and noticed something being labeled 'audio logs'. He clicked on it and selected the last entry marked 'Alice'.

_'OH god...*COUGH!*COUGH!*...I'm not sure I'm going to hold out any longer...Got ambushed by some super mutants a ways back...*COUGH!!* Finally managed to lose them from....*STATIC!!~*~STATIC!*...I'm realizing how much I really fucked up. I'm so sorry, Alice. I should've not let them take Shaun...It's my fault. All my fault*SOB* my fault that we lost our baby cause I was too scared when they pointed a gun to my head...too scared to admit-*STATIC!!*...I hope this somehow gets to you and that you'll find it in your heart to forgive me*COUGH-COUGH-COUGH!!*...Alice where ever you are and no matter what happens please know that I'll always love you and Shaun...*STATIC*...*STATIC*...'_ The room was silent except for the sounds of the pip-boy sounds of static. Nick turned it off seeing that there was nothing else left in the log and looked at her. Alice. That must be her name. It was too much of a coincidence. She said she woke up here in Hubris Comics. This man was looking for her and missed her by perhaps a few hours.

"Alice..." her voice got his attention she was looking at the man. "My name is Alice..." she stood up and walked over an almost intact counter and leaned on it. Her shoulders shook as her head went bent down a little. "My name is Alice and...and...I had a baby" she whispered the last part to herself.


	6. The ghoul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone is trying not fanboy, and somewhat failing.

Alice was feeling a lot of emotions all at once. Anger, grief, and relief swept through her body as she felt bitter tears threatening to escape from her eyes. "Alice?" Piper's voice called out to her. Alice looked over to Piper as one lone tear escaped and ran down her face. "Are you alright?" she asked as she approached Alice slowly. "No...NO, I'm-I'm"I'm not-!!" Alice couldn't finish her words as she closed her eyes and looked away from Piper and began to sob. This was unfair for her. She found out what her name is and it's from the body of a dead man, probably her spouse or something. Who knows? She can't recall much of anything and it was driving her up the wall. "Hey...come here" Piper said as she grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. Alice grasped Piper in a death grip as her body shook as she continued to sob. "It's not...not fair..." she whispered as she pulled away from the other woman. "Of course it's not fair. No one deserves this happening to them" Piper said as she pulled out a hanky and handed to Alice. Alice took the hanky and dried her eyes. She then handed the hanky back to Piper. "Thanks" she said as she sniffed. "Anytime" Piper said as she put the hanky away. She then turned to Nick, who was still examining the body. Most likely giving them some form of privacy. "So..." Piper began as she walked over to Nick with Alice in tow. Nick look up to look at the two women approaching them. "...What now?" Nick stood up to face them. "Well. I managed to remove his Pip-boy, I know a guy that can look more into this much better than I. We can probably get more answers from it, also I took a better look at his vault suit. Looks like he hails from 111" Nick said as he pocket the device.

"Think we might find more there?" Alice asked the synth. Nick shrugged. "Most likely. From most vault dwellers I've come across, there might be others from that same vault. Hell, maybe one of them might know ya" Nick told her. Alice smiled a little. "Alright so we go to vault 111, see if anyone or anything is there and hopefully I can put this matter to rest" Alice said as she turned to leave, it was then Piper decided to cut in. "Anyone know where we can find vault 111?" Piper asked them. "Crap..." Alice said as she stopped and turned around. "Now what?" Alice asked them. Before a word could be uttered some shuffling from upstairs and then a small crash. The three looked at each other. "What was that?!" Piper whispered as she kept looking up. "I have no clue but-* **CLANG**!!*-Let's find out shall we?" Nick said before pulling out his gun and lead the way to the stair case. The stairs looked to be ready to collaspe at any given time. Nick gestured to them to stop as he went first up the first set of stairs. He crouched down and beckoned the other two to follow as he continued on a head. Being mindful of noises that the stairs made, the two women were nearly silent as they made it to the top of the stairs to find Nick hiding behind a wall. He put a finger to his mouth and mudged his head to the opening. Alice took a peek and noticed a hunched figure over the mannequin that she took the clothes from. He managed to get back on it's feet before in fell over with another bang.

"D'aww!! Come on and stay standing already!!" rasped as he tried again. Alice looked over to Nick as she pulled her pistol out. She looked him in the eye and nodded to him. He nodded back. Alice crept in first and slowly stood up with her gun pointing at the man, followed by Nick and Piper. "Don't move" Alice said as she approached the mystery man. He froze, releasing the mannequin to let it fall on the floor once more. "Hands where I can see them" she demanded as Nick and Piper flanked him. The man put his hands up and slowly turned around. He looked...burnt and melted. Skin clinging to his bone structures, tissue showing here and there, and missing patches of skin. It threw Alice off a bit as his black eyes widened as he got a look at her. "I don't believe it..." his face lit up like a thousand atomic bombs. "Wait...Kent is that you?" Nick asked as he lowered his gun. "You know this guy, Nick?" she asked as the man, or what ever he was, wouldn't stop looking at her. It was making her uncomfortable. "I do. This here is Kent Conolly, from Goodneighbor. He's no more of a threat than he is to himself" Nick said as he gestured for everyone to put their guns down. Alice lowered her weapon, but didn't put it away. "Nick that you? What are you doing here?" Kent asked as he kept looking at Alice. Alice took a step back from him. What was his issue? "I was about to ask you the same thing" Nick said as he went up to him. Kent broke his gaze from Alice to speak with Nick. "I was here scavenging for Silver Shroud tapes and possibly the costume. I was planning to show it to some of the kids in Goodneighbor" he explained to the detective.

"Still running that radio station of yours?" Nick asked him. Kent nodded his head. "You bet! People won't admit it, but some of them actually love it" he said with glee, then he looked over at Alice. There he goes again. Alice frowned. Time to put an end to this."Stop looking at me like that!" Alice snapped at the man. Kent jumped in surprise. "Oh! Sorry! It's just...you're wearing the costume I came looking for. I just can't help myself, but seeing you in the costume is like see THE Silver Shroud in person" he admitted sheepishly. Alice rolled her eyes. "Well I found them and I needed the clothes" she stated as finally put her pistol away. "Ahem. Kent I have to ask ya something" Nick grabbed Kent's attention once. "What is it?" he asked. "Know anything about the body down stairs?" Nick asked him. "The bod-? Oh the guy downstairs. I found him like that when I got here earlier. I was planning on burying him after I was done here. Poor guy" Kent said with a sad voice. Nick placed a hand his shoulder. "That's real kind of ya, Kent" he said. Kent nodded as he turned to Alice again, this time not looking at her like he did earlier. "May I ask why you guys here?" he asked them as he turned to pick up the mannequin once more, this time managing to make it stand once more.

"The one wearing the costume, Alice, woke up here with no memory of how she got here and who she was" Nick explained to him. "Memory loss? I had a granny with Alzhimers. Not the same I know, but losing who you are and trying to grasp onto what you do have..." he trailed off before continuing. "...Er anyway I was finishing up in here when I heard you guys downstairs. Thought you guys were Raiders or Gunners" Kent said as he rubbed his neck. "Well, we're not. We were pretty much done here, ourselves when we heard you" Alice said as well she looked at him closely. "Pardon me asking, but what are you?" she asked him. Kent looked surprised. "Never seen a ghoul before?" he asked her. She shook her head no. "As you know, when the bombs dropped they nearly wiped everything any close to them. Some of us got hit with a high dose of radiation and had our appearances changed. Some people call us freaks or monsters, but considering some us living longer than any of them. That's the upside of things" he explained to her. "Also, I'd be careful asking question like that. Not everyone is understanding to explain things, regardless of your situation" he added. Alice nodded as she understood. "I guess there's nothing left for us here. Shall we get going?" Alice said. "I suppose so. We can head over to The Memory Den in Goodneighbor" Nick said to her. Alice nodded as she began to take lead.

"You heading to The Memory den in Goodneighbor?" Kent spoke up once more. "Yea, what about it?" Piper asked as she looked at him. His face lit up. "Irma, the owner, has a real soft spot for me. I can get her to help you with whatever you need. As long as it's reasonable" Kent told them. "I just need to get my memories back, nothing to drastic" Alice told him as Kent walked in front of the group. "That's doable. I can already tell this is going to be great!" he said he took off a head of them. The three of them looked at each other before Alice shook her head and followed after him.


	7. Goodneighbor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting the mayor and some small cameos. ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now...before you guys riot and break out the pitch forks, It's the holidays and I was kept busy from writing by family and work. Being a cleaning lady sucks.

The trip to Goodneighbor was, thankfully, uneventful save for a small pack of wild dogs. That chased them for three blocks and until Alice had it up to her neck and shot the mongrels. Putting them out of their misery. "Was that...* **pant** *...necessary?" Piper asked as she looked at the bodies of the dogs. All of them, head shots except for the Alpha. Alice used a crowbar for that one. Shivers ran down Piper's spine as she recalled Alice smacking the thing in midair, making it spin before it hit the ground with a sickening crack. The sounds of wet flesh and bone still lingers in her head. "If...If you wanted to....* **cough!!cough!!** *...to keep being chased and eaten...then be my guest" Alice gasped as she readjusted her gloves. "Besides...I'm done running" she finished as she went to the door. Inside there was a small group of kids rough housing. One of the kids, blonde, with a prewar haircut had one of the brunettes in a head lock. "Try to get out of this one ,Tony!!" he said as he gave him a noogey. "Let go Steve!! I give!! I give!" the one, Tony, cried as he waved his hands in the air. The other kid, Steve, released him only to be tackled by Tony to the ground. The two rolled on the ground, smacking each other. The other kids cheering them on.

"HEY HEY!" Kent cried out as he moved past Alice to the kids. The kids made a wide berth for the ghoul as he grabbed Steve and Tony, separating them. "I leave for a bit and I come back to this? What's going?" he asked them as he made the two kids stand next to each other. The kids fell silent and after five seconds of silence, Kent asked again. "Okay, I'm going to ask again what's going on and on the record, I don't care who started it. Now...anyone going to tell me?" he asked with his arms crossed. A young red haired girl walked up to Kent and tugged his sleeve. "Tony was picking on Bucky and Steve told him to stop, but he kept picking on him. So Steve pushed Tony and Tony pushed back and...well you can see what happened" she answered him. "Thank you for telling me Natasha" Kent said with a smile and ruffled her hair. Natasha nodded and went back to the group as Kent turned his attention to Steve and Tony. "Is this true Tony? Were yo picking on Bucky again?" he asked Tony. Tony looked away and nodded. "Why?" Kent knelt in front of him. Tony bent his head down. "...he was touching my dad's power armour helmet and he broke one of the lenses" he said. Kent sighed placing his hands on Tony's shoulders. "Oh Tony. I know how much that helmet means to you, but you can't go and do stuff like that. Come on, you guys are all friends and friends don't fight each other. Now, go apologize to James" Kent said and Tony walked over to another kid who was wearing an arm cast on his left arm. "Sorry for picking on you" Tony said as he apologize to him "Sorry for breaking the lens on the helmet. I just...wanted to look at it" Bucky said as he apologize as well. Kent stood up and clasped his hands together. "Alright, glad to see everything is now OK. I have a surprise for you." he said as he changed the subject and the kids turned to look at him.

"What is it?" a pale looking boy with green eyes asked. Kent grinned. "I managed to find some more episodes of the Silver Shroud and...the crossover episode with The mistress of mystery!" he told the kids. All their face lit up and cheered. One the kids looked passed Kent and looked at Alice with a squint before her eyes widen. "LOOK!! HE EVEN FOUND SILVER SHROUD!!" she shouted as she pointed at Alice. The kids looked to where she was pointing at. Alice stood there dumbfound as the group of kids ran towards her. Piper and Nick backed away in time as Alice was suddenly surrounded by them. All of them asking questions and what. Alice didn't know what to do. She looked at Piper and Nick and they both shrugged. Before Alice could utter a word, another ghoul wearing a tricorn hat and a red coat walked from an alley way. "Whoa, whoa! Time out kids!!" he said making the kids turned their attention to him. From the looks of things and their reactions, he looked to be a man of power. "You guys got to take it easy on the poor guy!" he told them as he looked at Alice and mouthed 'play along' to her. She nodded. "I know you guys have your questions and what not. But I think Silver Shroud is tired from punching bad guys and saving people right now" he said to them. The kids looked a little ashamed. "But tell you what..." he began. "You guys let him rest and I'll see about see you guys tomorrow or something, deal?" he finished. The kids nodded. "Yes, Mr. mayor" they said as they backed away from Alice. "What ever questions you guys have for me, I promise to answer them" she said to the kids, they nodded and walked over to Kent. "Come on kids! I'll put the next episodes on right now" Kent said as he lead them away. "Meet me at the lounge in an hour, I should be done by then!" Kent said as he walked away with the kids in tow. Alice nodded as she was glad to not have a group of kids bombard her at once anymore.

"Thanks for the save there" Alice said as she turned to the ghoul. The ghoul nodded and was about to say something before a new voice popped in from a head of them. "You're getting soft, Hancock" the owner of the voice was wearing dark leathers as he walked up to the ghoul, Hancock. "Someone passes through that gate, they're guest" Hancock said as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. The man scowled at Hancock. "What do you care? She ain't one of us!" the man shouted at Hancock. Hancock smiled at him and patted his shoulder. "No love for your mayor, Finn?" he asked as he pulled away and took a puff of his cigarette. "You keep letting outsiders walk all over us, one day there'll be a new mayor!" Finn threaten him. "Come on, man, this is me we're talking about. Let me tell you something..." Hancock began as he threw his cigarette to the ground and stomped it out. He looked at and gestured for him to come closer. Finn did so only to suddenly feel something impale him in the gut. He looked down to see a blade that Hancock gotten out. He pulled the blade out and stabbed him once more as blood poured out his mouth and down his chin. He choked and gasped as he fell to his knees. Blood was pouring out fast and he felt his hands shake as he clutched his stomach. Finn landed on his side staring at Hancock wide eye as he felt his vision haze and black started seeping into the corners of his eyes. The last thing he saw was Hancock staring at him with a frown as he was wiping his blade clean. "Now why'd you have to go and say that, huh?" Hancock said as he put his blade away. He walked away from Finn's body as he muttered "...Breaking my heart here..."

"So sorry you had to see that" he said as he turned his attention back to Alice. Alice was thrown for a loop. One second this guy was smiling and being nice to a bunch of kids and the next, he was killing a guy like it was nothing. She kept her face neutral but her hand on her pistol to be safe. "It's alright" she said to him as he walked up her. "As you probably guessed, I'm the mayor and the name's Hancock. Welcome to Goodneighbor" he said as he introduced himself formally. "Thank you. Names Alice. That's Piper and-"

"Nick Valentine. Long time no see" Hancock interrupted her as he greeted the synth. Nick nodded his head in acknowledgment. "John" he said back. "Is there someone that you don't know Nick?" Alice asked with a smile as she turned to the synth. Nick shrugged at her with a returning smile. "In my field of work, you come across lots of faces with names that you can help but remember. especially this one" Nick said to her. Alice shook her head and turned back to Hancock. "Once again Mayor. Thanks, and any else I should know before I go?" she asked the ghoul. Hancock grinned at her. "Yea, Goodneighbor is 'Of the people, for the people' and just long you remember who's in charge, there won't be any problems" he said to her. Alice nodded. "Of the people, for the people. Should be easy to remember" she said to him as she began to walk off with Nick and Piper in tow. They walked a ways down, passing two shops and what looked to be a state house. A head of them was a run down looking theater with the words 'Memory Den' lit up in lights. Alice stopped as she looked at the building and felt a sense of deja vu wash over her before she shook the feeling off. "Well, here we are. The memory den. Known for letting those relive their most cherished, happiest, and most memorable memories...for a price" Nick said as he passed Alice with Piper. Alice tore her eyes away from the sign and followed the two into the Den. For a run down building, it was well kept inside. Large pod like machine were hooked up with people inside of them. Each of them having a smile on their faces, tears running down their cheeks, or laughing joyously. Talking to a beautiful, middle aged woman was Kent. She was smiling at the ghoul as he kept talking. The woman noticed them as they kept walking up to them. Irma stood up making Kent pause as he looked at them. "Nick Valentine. Thought I never see you again" she said as she walked up to the detective and touched his cheek. Nick smiled as he gently grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips and gave it a small kiss. "I might've walked out on the den, but I never walk out you Irma" he said as he released her hand. Irma released a small laugh as she looked at Alice and Piper. "Kent told me you needed help retrieving your memories" she said as she walked back to a lounge chair. Alice nodded. "That is correct ma'am. I'd be most in debt if you be of assistance" Alice asked her. "Beautiful and polite, I like that" Irma said as she smiled at Alice.

"You guys can go a head and speak with Amari downstairs. This is more of her cup of tea than mine" Irma said as she gestured to the stairway on the left. "Thank you, Irma" Kent said to her. "It's no problem dear. Anything to help someone in need" she finished as she turned on a radio that sat on a small table next to her. Kent turned to Alice. "You go on a head. I still need to add these tapes to the station for the kids. I'll meet you down there in a bit" Kent told her as he walked past her and into a small room with a sign that read 'employees only' on it. Alice beckoned for the others to follow as they walked down the stairs. Downstairs was plain compared to upstairs. Which was decorated with furniture and posters, while downstairs only had monitors, terminals, and two memory pods. There sitting at a terminal was a woman with her hair kept neat and wearing a lab coat. She heard them and looked up. Alice could've sworn she saw her eyes widen in shock but dismissed it as they went up to her. "Are you Amari?" she asked her. The woman, Amari nodded as she stood up from her terminal. "Doctor Amari, but yes. Is there something I can help you with?" she asked her. "Yes...I uh...Well it's kind of strange to say this but I lost my memory and I need help getting them back" Alice said to her. Amari looked at the woman, Alice, before her. She met her before. A few months back, to be precise. Came here in a panic asking for her memory to be erased and to be given new ones. Now she lost the ones she given her. The memories of scavenger/trader passing through the Commonwealth. Dear God, what happened to her to make her lose them? And why has she come back? Amari shook her head as she looked at the woman before. She was looking at her with hopeful eyes. She sighed and nodded at her. "I can help" she said to her.


	8. A/N

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something that needs to be adressed

It has come to self realization and many thoughts on this. This story is not going the way I attended it to go. I feel like its branching off to where it was suppose to be going and it come with great pain to say this but... This story is going on the back burner for a while. This story is NOT going to be deleted, I will probably come back and fix it later. Though I'm going to give you guys The Silver Shroud story you guys deserve and I'm really sorry for stringing things along. I really am. So expect a story(mostly likely a long one shot) of the Silver shroud. This is Doktor Marceline and signing off!


End file.
